Chapter 41:

My heart was racing with fear and adrenaline. The frosty air was nothing compared to the heat radiating off of my skin. My breath fogged as it left my lungs and my chest heaved up and down as I breathed heavily. Sebastian and Ciel were no where to be seen. As soon as they entered a room in the ship I felt Sebastian and the young master's presence disappear in a flash.

I turned the corner and noticed the empty hallway. My assumption correct.

Blood and bodies littered the floor and walls. The smell was close to atrocious but the demon part of me was enjoying the sight and smell. It smelled like fear and it was strange but exciting.

I shook my head and focused on my main task. Looking for Sebastian and the young master.

I tried sensing their bodies but only sensed the people that were leaving through the boats. I sighed in slight frustration. Too fast I felt a presence but it wasn't only one but two. It wasn't the young master's or Sebastian's and I immediately knew whose it was. Their aura's were very different from Sebastian and Ciel's.

The two reapers weren't hiding their aura's, more like flaunting them. The little hope I had for finding the master and butler rose. Before I knew it my feet were taking me in random directions hoping that the pathway I was taking would take me to the first class area of the ship. My feet were splotched with blood but I didn't care as I ran.

I stopped as I noticed the small crowd in the hallway. The two people I had sensed were here with another.

"Grell! Ronald!" I yelled at them.

They turned to me. Ronald's eyes widened while Grell's eyebrows rose.

"What are you doing here, dame? Aren't you supposed to be with the kid?"

"I could ask you the same thing... except, what are you doing with Ryan Stoker?"

I eyed them skeptically.

"Well this human said he had the solution to our problem but I see nothing from this liar," Grell stated while flipping his hair.

"What?" I asked.

"This one supposedly has a device to stop the corpses," Ronald stated while fixing his glasses.

"Where is it?"

We all looked to the man that was quiet throughout the exchange. He squeaked as all eyes were on him now.

"It was supposed to be here! I swear! Someone must have stolen it!"

"Do you know who could have stolen it?" I asked, a little impatient.

"Yes. But please we have to hurry."

We ran after the doctor. I stayed behind the men, not trusting the reapers in the slightest.

We soon came to the first class meeting lounge. We all stopped close to the stairs, the doctor leaning over the railing and yelling.

"Bastard! Why did you take the device?!"

"Welcome, Ryan!" I looked around the room while he talked and spotted Sebastian and Ciel. "I was waiting for you! Tonight the empire you built will collapse like Pompeii! And in its place a new realm will be born! I will create a new empire! The one who conquered eternity will rule over everyone else with grace and decadence... and that shall be called... the Aurora Empire!"

"Huh?" I questioned.

"Well I don't care! Let me paint him red!"

Grell placed a foot on the railing with his chainsaw in hand. Ronald grabbed his waist, stopping him from killing the idiot blonde.

"You red-headed fool. We need the device!" I barked.

"This device? The real power... I can control you all with just this glass of wine."

The blonde raised his glass over the device but held it so the liquid was barely touching the edge.

Wood burst from the walls. i shielded my face with arms and turned to spot the hundreds of corpses that had fought their way through. My eyes widened the more I looked around. All across the balcony were hundreds of corpses with blindfolds, similar to the ones we had already killed earlier. There were too many to count and to many to kill. We were severely outnumbered.

I knew that the only choice that I had would to take my wings out. I feared they would bite through them but it was a risk for the young master.

My appeared on my back, the midnight black color just as magnificent as it was when it first turned in that color.

The reapers fought behind me as I tried helping by creating strong winds with my wings. It helped push back some but not all.

"She's an angel?!" Grell yelled in surprise.

"Please, Viscount! Activate the device!" the doctor yelled in desperation.

"I am not a viscount anymore. I will activate it if you call me Ceasar," he turned to Ciel with a wink of his eye, " with that lovely mouth of your, little Robin."

I shuddered in disgust at the pedophile along with Ciel.

"How this place is similar to a coliseum! With paladins putting their fleeting lives at stake! And I'm watching them from above! Like... the emperor Nero!"

"Can we kill him now?" Ronald said irked.

Grell was slicing the the corpses while I stood from the railing. Irked at being forgotten.

"And what am I?"

"Ah... you my young dove, will be the empress that I have chosen to stand by me!"

I shuddered at the thought. Sebastian's murderous aura made its way over to my side of the lounge. It was colder than outside for a split moment before it rolled away.

"Although flattering," I looked back at the viscount, "I would like to decline. But I would suggest starting that machine before even you become a fleeting life..."

I narrowed my eyes. My wings spread and flapped as I jumped down next to the butler and child.

"Fine. Everyone! It is time to found my new empire!" He raised his glass of wine while chaos was ensuing around him. "Show me the dance of the Phoenix to pledge your loyalty to the emperor!

All of us deadpanned and looked at the fool barking orders in the center of the lounge steps.

"Let's kill him."

"Oh no," another voice popped in. I looked confusedly around the stairs and finally spotted the extra person coming in from the left side of the stairs.

"The undertaker? What's he doing here?" I asked.

"I'm just here for laughs, darling. But... are you sure that you all want to destroy that device? Do you not want to know how it works?" he asked, his sleeve covering the taunting smile on his face.

All of us faced towards the blonde bimbo, a regretful decision about to be made between all of us.

The pledge was given without much excitement let alone emotion but it was done. The undertaker fell over in laughter as the rest of us waited impatiently and humiliated for the device to be turned on.

"Well done everyone! I will now show you how this machine works!"

He pressed a button on the side of the machine. We all waited in anticipation for something, anything to happen. There was nothing but silence and the sound of Grell and Ronald's machines revving as well as the sound of corpses being shredded.

"What happened?" I asked.

The undertaker cackled next to the viscount while the rest of us were worried and confused.

"What the hell just happened?!" I asked.

"Ryan, the machine you built isn't working," the viscount loudly stated to the doctor.

"You're not the one who built it?!" the young master yelled angrily.

"How could I build something like this? I just borrowed it," the viscount said blankly.

The undertaker was grabbing his sides behind the viscount and choking on his own saliva.

"Bastard! So you fooled me!" The doctor yelled.

Sebastian and i looked in confusion at the statement. If he wasn't the one that made the device, then who was? And why would he trust something that was so obviously fake?

I ran over to the center of the room where some of the corpses landed from the balcony. I grabbed each of their heads, more coming after the next.

Grell jumped down from the railing, anger and bloodlust in his eyes.

"I'm going to kill him!"

"No, Senpai! We can't kill humans!"

His chainsaw came close but the Undertaker stopped him with an object I wasn't used to seeing.

A smile was visible on the part of his face that wasn't covered by his hair. But it wasn't the same smile that was usually seen. It looked ruthless and uncaring.

"It's been a while since I've laughed this much. To lose such an amusing man would be like losing the whole world to me..."

"My death scythes blade can't cut it?!"

"That's a death scythe?" I asked, confused.

Undertaker counter attacked and forced Grell away by swinging the piece of wood with writing at Grell.

The Undertaker's robes opened to reveal more hidden inside. He aimed them at Grell, who jumped to the ceiling in time to dodge them.

I flew in the air, barely missing the weapons as they crashed into the wall behind me.

"How sad..." I looked away from the wood that landed into the walls and looked at Undertaker who was raking back the hair in his eyes.

His eyes were just as green as the other reapers with something close to age and experience hidden underneath the layers of eye skin. Scars lined his face and the sinisterly mysterious smile accompanied it. Another piece of wood was resting on his shoulder as he kept his hand in his hair.

I would have been lying if I said he wasn't attractive for an old man.

"How sad would it be should laughter disappear."

Grell landed in front of me. Undertaker stared him down while Sebastian was protecting the young master against the corpses that were threatening to make their way closer.

"You've been hiding yourself well. Since you have been hiding your eyes I didn't notice anything either."

"I've been bested... And his eyes... Yes. There's no mistaking that yellowish, green glimmer. A grim reaper," Grell growled.

"How nostalgic," the Undertaker's voice changed to a lower octave, "it's been half a century since someone has called me that."

Loud footsteps echoed from the balconies. All heads turned to see Ryan running to the Undertaker, an anxious look on his face.

"Undertaker! What is the meaning of this?! Didn't you say that we could control the corpses with this device?"

"Is that so..."

"It was all a lie! You fooled me! All that about going to America to spread complete salvation!"

"But you see," he tilted his head and shrugged his shoulders," I found it quite funny when you talked about bringing back the dead in all seriousness. You were the perfect person for my purpose."

"So our goal... Our goal of making the entire world healthy... That's our goal isn't it?" the doctor asked desperately. He was pleading, almost on his knees for the Undertaker to at least tell him that some of it was true.

The reaper laughed and shook of his pitiful pleading.

"You couldn't perform the resurrection of humans with the medicine that you possess. From my book, that can't be called medicine anymore. The type of person to use a treatment that he doesn't even understand on his patients isn't even considered a doctor."

Ryan Stoker fell to his knees. A shocked expression settled on his face, the disbelief looked to be taking him to a world of self pity.

"So in other words," the young master spoke up, "you are the mastermind behind the Aurora Society's human resurrection experiments."

He eyes the young lord and placed a long nailed finger to his lips. "That's a secret."

"It's not really a secret if you're inadvertently telling us, Undertaker."

He looked up at me. The smile was still placed on his face.

"You need to let others finish dear."

He threw one of his sticks at me. I barely dodged as the edge of my wing, a single feather, was clipped.

"But, by doing that Phoenix pose you have paid for an awful amount of information. It is true that I was the one who made all of these corpses."

"Why?"

The Undertaker explained his theory of adding a cinematic record to the end of the persons record. All of our eyebrows furrowed together at the disturbing realization.

"You edited their records?" Grell asked.

"Why don't you take a look?

Grell used his scythe to look into the corpses cinematic record. It looked normal. The old man lying in bed with his family wishing that he would get well, only for them to watch as he passed away. But it wasn't completely the end. Undertaker had attached images of himself to the end of the records. It was strange to see but understandable. It was like my mind manipulation ability except with cinematic records of deceased humans.

"The end mark that shows at the end of every death. By connecting these records I made it so the end never came. Somehow the body thinks that life is still continuing and starts moving again without a soul. All living beings instinctively try to fill whatever it is they lacked. If your body gets wounded, it will close it up. If the spirit is lonely, it will seek others to fill it up. That's why they also instinctively seek what they lack," Undertaker made a heart with his hands, "In order to find a soul, they will try opening the bodies of the living. To settle the balance of the never ending record, you see."

"Is that why they came after our souls even when they lack hearing or sight?" Ciel asked.

"Is that why I can't manipulate their mind?" I mumbled.

"It's impossible to make another's soul theirs. I can tamper with record but I can't create another soul. I experimented a lot but none of them ever became anything more than flesh dolls without a self. That's why I call them 'Bizarre Dolls' because they are not living, but they are not dead."

"How perverse can you be?"

"That statement in itself just proves how young you are, Earl."

"It doesn't mean he's young, you sick freak," I spoke up.

We watched as he grabbed a doll. His left hand grabbed her waist and his right hand grabbed one of hers. She, as well as the others, had stopped moving once the Undertaker spoke.

"This beautifully stitched skin skin as white as wax, just like when they were alive. Their mouths that cannot clamor noisily or tell lies any longer. Aren't they all far more beautiful then when they were alive?"

"If anything, I think you need special help, old man," I said, my face twisted in disgust.

"That's what you say but... They are humans who want these bizarre dolls too. These dolls don't feel fear or pain. They eat the living, craving their souls. What do you think," he looked over at the young master with a cheshire grin, "it's the best animal weapon there is, right."

We all looked in hatred as he explained the reasoning for bringing the dolls onto the ship. They were used as a game to see which species would live.

My glare worsened at the undertaker. Even in the circus, we unknowingly added the police officers to this old man's collection of doll's.

It left a bitter taste in my mouth and I clenched my fist at my side. I wanted nothing more than to teach this fool a lesson but I knew he was too powerful even for a person like me.

"The more he says, the more I can't let this go," Grell stated.

"I know right," Ronald responded. "Grim Reaper distorting the way of death is totally impossible. Though he doesn't have glasses ... Is he one of those deserters?"

"He can be anything for all I care! It's against the rules for Grim Reapers to meddle with humans life and death matters. The quickest way to get him to cough up information on these dead corpses is to tie him up and take him straight to the bosses. Also... EVEN MORE THAN THIS BEING AGAINST THE RULES, HURTING A MAIDEN'S FACE IS JUST A CRIME! NO MATTER HOW HOT YOU MAY BE, I CAN'T FORGIVE YOU FOR THAT!"

I sweat dropped at Grell's reasoning for being upset at Undertaker. But knew better than to comment.

Grell lunged at Undertaker, his death scythe revving at a fast speed. The undertaker used his stick to block the attack while Ronald went behind the old man with his scythe.

I landed on the ground and Sebastian handed Ciel to me. He quickly kicked Ronald out of the way sending him flying in another direction and prepared to kick the Undertaker, only to be blocked as well.

The three men stood away from the old Reaper, distaste in their eyes and stance. They were obviously not prepared for Undertaker's strength.

"What the hell, Bassy!"

"I would be in trouble if I let you haul him away," he said while nonchalantly fixing his glove.

"We have a duty to present the truth before the queen," Ciel said next to me. "We can't let him get away."

"So you see, we'll be the ones taking him into custody," Sebastian said.

"This is a problem between reapers, stay away outsiders!"

"I also have my job as a butler. So please, stay away outsiders."

"I guess it can't be helped either," I flew back in the air, still behind Sebastian, "as a maid to the Phantomhive household I cannot abandon my duties either."

"Well, so be it," Grell began, "if you're going to be that way then we won't hold restraint either."

"Considering your lack of restraint for perverse thoughts towards Sebastian, I'm surprised you know the word," I sneered.

"Then we'll keep it simple. Let the fastest be the winner," Ronald spoke. "But, I don't intend to lose to you old man!"

"Hee hee~ It's almost like a rabbit hunt~ Well then, I wonder which rabbit is being hunted."

The fight was too fast that it was a blur. All of us tried attacking at once to the point where the side capturing him became crowded around Undertaker.

Grell revved his scythe while Sebastian grabbed his knives. Ronald's mower was also running at dangerously fast speeds. The only weapon I had were my powers and my wings. Ronald attacked Sebatian while Grell tried attacking the Undertaker. Of course he block and sent him back while Sebastian tried dodging Ronald to get to Undertaker.

I flew down and tried punching the Undertaker but he grabbed my hand and threw my the other way. I landed on the stairs to his right in a crouched position. My wings almost ripped against his stick.

Grell tried attacking again when Undertaker spoke.

"Reapers have gotten extremely near sighted you know~"

"You're at a disadvantage then!" Grell swung his chainsaw at the Undertaker who was smiling as if he was fighting a little kid. Which, technically, he was.

This wooden stick was cut unlike the other one that he was carrying.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"How the hell is that possible?" I mumbled.

Grell was kicked away by Undertaker who had done a backflip. While he was in the air I readied my wings while Ronald tried running him over with his mower. He was blocked and stepped on, causing his glasses to fall off.

"You rely too much on you eyesight~"

I moved my wings causing a great gust of wind that was big enough to topple any person over. The reaper standing before me placed three of his sticks on the side that I was at, effectively blocking the wind from reaching him.

My eyes widened slightly as a realization came to me.

If reapers rely on their sight so much... then I should be able to manipulate his and the others eyesight...

I flew in the air and tried to manipulate the three reapers ability to see. The best thing that I could do was shroud them in darkness, causing them to not even be able to see what was in front of them. Of course I wouldn't be able to stop them from sensing the others around them, but their eyesight would have been a step forward.

The red and blonde reaper stopped in their tracks, confusion evident on their face. The white haired reaper only stood, his smile growing wider.

"Why can't I see?!" Grill yelled.

"Hey! Who turned off the lights?!"

"Very clever maid~ Trying to block my eyes sight. But you're not that strong, little lady."

Before I knew it a stick was being thrown in my direction. But as I dodge more started barraging themselves at me. I couldn't focus on the other two and help Sebastian, so the others got their sight back.

"That wench was the one who blocked my eyesight?! How dare you cheat?!"

I couldn't pay much to his rambling as I was still trying to dodge the barrage of Undertaker's attacks. They were getting closer and closer to my wings and I was growing fearful they would get hurt. I kept them as close as I could to my body but that would mean I had to go back to the ground, and I wasn't as fast as the others.

Sebastian threw his table knives at Undertaker but also grabbing what looked to be the glasses that fell off of Ronald.

"Are you sure you can defeat me with tableware? Even the maid has tried harder than you~"

"It may not be powers or a death scythe, but they will do the job."

Sebastian got closer to the reaper only to be thrown the same way the others and I were.

"Come one~ You really can't do any better with the four of you? Weren't you going to hunt me down?" He taunted.

I stood back while the others let the taunt get to their heads.

If only there was a way to be as strong as he is... But what?, I thought.

An idea popped into my head that should have come sooner. I replicated Sebastian's demonic powers, which caused my other half to awaken.

If I could do that with him than I should be able to replicate the reapers powers. The only problem would be finding an opening to touch him.

As Grell attacked the wooden stick that he had cut earlier blocked his scythe like once before. It caused Sebastian and I to narrow our eyes and the reapers to widen theirs in shock.

"How?!"

"The death scythe can cut through anything hmm..." The undertaker said mysteriously.

"I looked at the stick he was holding and the one that previously broke trying to find the difference between them.

"Don't you think that catch phrase is a little strange?"

A thought occurred to me... where was this man's scythe? The other two had theirs out in the open while he was only using the sticks with handwriting on them.

"I don't care either way!" Grill yelled.

"There is one thing it can't cut, isn't there?"

Ronald gasped and I turned my head towards him. His face held slight shock and mostly fear. I turned back towards the Undertaker, my wings encasing my frame.

I jumped as he swung an object encased in light at the reapers and I, both of them falling back with slashes on their chest while I spread my wings to fly.

The Undertaker had, what looked to be, an original death scythe, ones that were told in stories. My eyes widened and I stayed in the air. Fear was gripping my and pulling my heart down. Their was no way that we could defeat this man, especially since he had something, even I knew, that was ancient and powerful. His aura was leaking more power as he held the true form of his scythe.

"I see," Sebastian began, "the 'it can cut anything' phrase is false when there are multiple scythes involved."

"They should have taken it when you retired!" Ronald exclaimed.

"It was with me for quite some time. I went through so much trouble to keep it, you know."

He pulled his arm back, the death scythe poised and ready to kill. "How about I hunt you guys now? Like the pitiful rabbit in a hunting game.

He swung for me first. I folded my wings and I fell out of the air and almost landed harshly on the floor. My ankle rolled causing me to gasp out in pain. The undertaker attacked the others next, swinging sideways and destroying the pillars.

The corpses from above were falling from the top and the young master was wobbling from the stairs. I tried rushing over to him to stop him from falling and hurting himself when the Undertaker swung his weapon in my direction.

I backflipped backwards and landed on one knee, my eyes narrowed at the bastard trying to stop me from getting to the young lord.

Sebastian threw a table at the Undertaker. It was sliced just as easily as the pillars. Sebastian disappeared behind the reaper but wasn't quick enough. He was dodged easily.

"You think of some interesting stuff." The Undertaker backflipped behind the young master and grabbed him. "So will I."

Anger and fear engulfed me and soon my vision became red. Sebastian and I rushed towards the two, wanting nothing but to tear the reaper to shreds.

As we reached him he threw the lord in the opposite direction, a malicious smile on his face.

As I turned I felt nothing but seeing pain. Everything happened very slowly, as if the pain was stopping time.

My torso was bleeding along with the area where my right wing was attached to my back, the rest of it laid on the floor. With nothing to balance me I landed in front of the reaper in a bloody mess. Sebastian grabbed the young master.

"I was aiming for the butler, but I guess you will do, miss maid. Show me your record..."

OK SO I did not want to write this chapter because I really didn't want to rip off my characters wing. It hurt me just thinking about it and then WRITING IT? No my heart couldn't take. But hopefully this tickled your fancy. I will be showing like her life from before in her cinematic record the next chapter. And I think that will be just the next chapter. The chapter after will show the present and forward so be ready for that. I will most likely update again before the New Year. But other than that I hope all have a great day! BYE ^_^